Installing a good plan is vitally important to virtualized data backup

Installing a good plan is vitally important to virtualized data backup

Often residing in the shadow of its younger cousin cloud computing – when it comes to buzz at least – virtualization is still very much a part of the backup and recovery scene. In fact, according to InformationWeek columnist George Crump, data protection with virtualized machines is continuing to evolve, becoming more tailored to enterprise use in the process.

However, alongside this revolution comes what some see as an inevitable shift to a hybrid data center, featuring both physical and virtual machines. While allowing these two technologies to work in concert is nothing new, Crump noted that their differing needs for data protection and storage means that disaster recovery becomes a far more complicated process.

This does not mean that finding the right set of data backup solutions impossible; it just means that there is likely no simple one-size-fits-all approach for organizations to adopt. Virtualization can still make recovery easier, but there are additional steps to cover in the new era of the hybrid data center. In addition to the software that is needed to ensure everything gets back up and running smoothly following a disaster, there has to be a procedural element as well.

“Virtualization may have brought some level of push-button simplicity to recovery,” Crump wrote, “but a well-trained IT team armed with a solid plan remains the most important asset in any organization.”

Evolving virtualized backup

For those organizations that deploy hybrid architecture, the changing times in virtualized backup indicate that better solutions may be getting simpler, according to Storage Switzerland. While traditional virtualized backup solutions were unable to cope with both virtual and legacy machines, newer technologies are finally beginning to allow organizations to bridge that gap.

These new enterprise IT solutions are still not quite a do-everything answer, but as they continue to progress they hold the potential to become just that. As they move closer to the point of full-time backup and recovery solution, virtualized utilities could conceivably find a home in more and more companies, according to Storage Switzerland.

While many virtualized products are enterprise-based, being able to cover all the bases at once will offer a more realistic solution for smaller companies as well.

“If today’s virtual-only backup products are able to make the leap … they will provide backup administrators with greater flexibility in protecting their environments,” the news source read. “They may also establish the new mid-range of the market, in the process replacing legacy backup solutions that have become long in the tooth and have lost their simplicity.”

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